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Philippines-Australia
DISCLAIMER: PURELY FICTIONAL, NOT MEANT TO OFFEND. Philippines-Australia (PHAU), officially known as the Asian-Pacific Union of the Commonwealth of the Philippines and Australia '(Filipino: Samahang Asya-Pasipiko ng Republika ng Pilipinas at ang Komonwelt ng Australya''), is a fictional constitutional union of the Republic of the Philippines (now the Second Commonwealth of the Philippines) and the Commonwealth of Australia that originated in the Honor and Glory series. It was formed by a new constitution granted to the World War III victor, the Philippines, which devolved powers placed it and Australia on equal footing. Philippines-Australia's main capital is Pearl, with Manila as the Philippine sector's capital, Canberra as the capital of the Australian sector, and Jakarta as the capital of the Indonesian territory. The country's other major metropolitan areas are Quezon City, Pasay City, Mandaluyong, Davao, Tacloban, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide. Philippines-Australia was conceived as an idealised Asia-Pacific version of Austria-Hungary, consisting of two major countries (Philippines and Australia), and several smaller republics (Indonesia, Taiwan, Palau, East Timor, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands). The union is currently a dominion of the Magnum Opus People's Republic of Utopia, albeit being as economically and influentially powerful as its lord. Foreign affairs and the military came under joint oversight, but all other governmental faculties were divided between respective states. Philippines-Australia is a multinational state and currently one of Asia's major powers. The union is also the world's largest shipping and trade hub, as well as the world leader in exporting rice and home appliances. The country is also one of the highest-ranked nations in quality of life, health, education, economic freedom, civil liberties and political rights, with most of its major cities faring extremely well in global comparative livability surveys. Philippines-Australia is a member of the United Nations, G20, Commonwealth of Nations, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, World Trade Organization, East Asia Summit, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and the ASEAN Plus Six mechanism. Philippines-Australia has been widely considered to be a world superpower along with the United States. Name The Philippines was named in honour of King Philip II of Spain. Spanish explorer Ruy López de Villalobos, during his expedition in 1542, named the islands of Leyte and Samar Felipinas after the then-Prince of Asturias. Eventually the name Las Islas Filipinas would be used to cover all the islands of the archipelago. Before that became commonplace, other names such as Islas del Poniente (Islands of the West) and Magellan's name for the islands, San Lázaro, were also used by the Spanish to refer to the islands. On the other hand, the name Australia is derived from the Latin Terra Australis (meaning "Southern Land"), a name used for a hypothetical continent in the Southern Hemisphere since ancient times. When Europeans first began visiting and mapping Australia in the 17th century, the name Terra Australis was naturally applied to the new territories. By the time the union of Philippines-Australia was formed, Philippines' territory geographically sits in Asia, while Australia's territory is geographically located in Oceania. Colloquial names for Philippines-Australia include "Pin-Oz" (combination of "Pinoy" and "Oz") and "Orient Pearls n' Down Under" History It was originally thought that a union between Philippines and Australia was practically impossible because Philippines and Australia are two very different sovereign entities, with both countries having different currencies and central government structures. Those doubts didn't stop Australia and Philippines from signing the ''Philippines-Australia Military Agreement Pact'' in Canberra prior to World War 3, formally declaring their status as allies. World War III During World War 3, China quickly invaded and conquered most of Southeast Asia, and even occupying Indonesia. Although having thought to be virtually impossible to invade, China managed to land on the northwestern area of Australia, prompting Australia to oust their current prime minister and had him replaced by a tougher prime minister. Meanwhile, the Philippines was still in the middle of becoming a fully-developed country, with massive reforms shaping in the country to bring the people out of poverty and debt from past corruption. These reforms allowed the Philippines to be officially recognised as a fully-developed First World country. The rapid growth of the Philippines meant a better military force, and the current president was eager to set out the military to defend the islands. Because they signed a defensive pact with Australia, they offered military assistance to help Australia drive the occupying Chinese from the northern portion of Western Australia. After a military operation which Australia and Philippines retook the lost Australian territory from the invaders, China then declared war on the Philippines. The military leaders of China were eager to make quick work of the Philippines, thus sending the majority of their air force and navy to attack the Philippines. Australian intelligence reported the attack to Manila, and the Philippines quickly readied their military to defend the country. When the Philippines asked Australia for assistance in the defense of the Philippine mainland, Australia agreed, but wasn't able to send immediate military assistance due to the Royal Australian Army being unprepared that day. Despite not receiving help from Australia in time, the Filipinos fought hard, and actually won in a near-wipeout victory for the Filipinos, a victory Australia's leaders looked on with utter amazement (and envy). With full Australian support, and help from ally Japan, Philippines helped the allies push China all the way back, prompting China's surrender. During the peace conference, the victorious Filipinos and Australians agreed to occupy the war-torn country of Indonesia until the country was returned to its pre-war state. However, a referendum was later held in Indonesia, and most Indonesians voted in favour of Philippine-Australia rule, and they were subsequently annexed by Philippines and Australia. Philippines unites with Australia NOTE: Work in Progress Section Following the annexation of Indonesia, talks among the Australian government in a meeting in the Australian capital, Canberra, proposed a planned unification between Philippines and Australia, taking to consideration how cohesively well the Australian troops performed with the Filipinos in World War 3, and how aid from the Philippines helped fuel the Royal Australian Army. The plan to form a union between Philippines and Australia was a major topic in the meeting, and all Australian representatives voted unanimously in favour of forming the union, under the condition that the Philippines must be a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The Indonesians, who were also in the meeting, voted in favour of the union as well. The major issue? Australia had to convince the Philippines to join in as the heart of the union. Although the Philippines are allied with Australia, sharing their overseas territories in China and Indonesia after World War III, the Philippine government doesn't have a good political opinion of Australia, after previous Australian decisions that angered the Filipino officials, such as the decision to ship trash to the Philippines, and their vote favouring a UN investigation of the country regarding human rights over the War on Drugs. In the first union referendum held, only a mere 30% of Filipinos favoured unification with Australia, despite over 65% of Filipinos having a positive opinion of Australia. Philippines' eligibility was questioned, mainly because Philippines was historically a colony in the Spanish Empire, not the British Empire, despite the British occupying Manila for twenty months between 1762 and 1764. The criteria for membership in the Commonwealth of Nations required Philippines, as a rule, to have a constitutional association with an existing Commonwealth member state, to comply with Commonwealth values, principles and priorities as set out in the Harare Commonwealth Declaration of 1991, and to accept Commonwealth norms and conventions. In a summit held in London, the Commonwealth accepted Philippines' application to join the Commonwealth, citing their constitutional ties with Australia involving the joint-occupation of Indonesia and the expressed intent to form a union between the countries as enough credibility, thus inducting the Philippines in the Commonwealth of Nations. With the final concern off the window, Philippines and Australia signed the Philippine-Australian Union Declaration in Pearl, the city that would become the centrepiece of the union, making Philippines-Australia an official country. Early Turmoil Just soon after Philippines and Australia were united in one country, anti-union rebellions began uprising in Manila and Canberra, with thousands gathering, attempting to overthrow the governments to keep the countries separate. The Philippine-Australian government quickly put an end to the rebellion, but reports from government police revealed that several government officials have been involved in orchestrating the rebellion. Fearing that the newly-established union would suffer extreme betrayals leading to the disruption of the countries if no action was taken place to enforce the union, the government begins a long series of trials known as the Red Right Trials, in an attempt to identify and imprison corrupt officials scheming to break the union. Although the trials were a success, many protests against the trials occurred in EDSA, Philippines (Epifanio de los Santos Avenue) and Wollongong, Australia, citing the economic recession and instability that occurred in the union while the trials were on-going. Politics Philippines-Australia is a unitary state under a constitutional monarchy. Government Philippines-Australia has a parliamentary government, with a unique system based on the United Kingdom's Westminster system. Philippines and Australia's separate parliaments, along with the separate administrative divisions of each republic, are linked by the Parliament of Philippines-Australia, located in the union's capital city Pearl. The cabinet is composed of the Philippine-Australian prime minster, 5 members each from the two head countries-Philippines and Australia, and 3 members each from the other republics in the union, based on the Philippine-Australian philosophy of letting every member of the union have a say in the government. Administrative Divisions Philippines-Australia is constitutionally a union of 7 republics. Philippines, Australia, Indonesia, and Taiwan are the founding republics who were among the countries who signed the Philippine-Australian Union Declaration in Pearl. Papua New Guinea, Palau, Timor-Leste, and the Solomon Islands were admitted in the union weeks after. Despite the Union's philosophy of every country, big or small, having a voice in the country's political decisions, in practice, Philippines and Australia dominated Philippines-Australia, being the name-holders of the Asia-Pacific union. Foreign Relations Philippines-Australia is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, G20, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the East Asia Summit (EAS), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and the ASEAN Plus Six mechanism. The country has a close alliance with Japan, a economic and military partnership with the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany. Philippines-Australia's global presence and influence is further amplified through its trading relations, foreign investments, official development assistance and military engagements. The United Kingdom, Japan, New Zealand and Germany are the most favourably viewed countries in the world by the Filipino-Australian people. There is considerable public and political support for increased trade, foreign policy co-operation and mobility of citizens between Philippines-Australia and the UK, Germany, and Russia. Foreign relations between Philippines-Australia and other nations are also based on the well-being of their citizens living outside of the country, notably 10 million Filipinos who are living overseas. Economy A world superpower, Philippines-Australia prides in having the world's third-largest economy and fifth highest per capita income, under a market economy. In the Philippines, technological change projects rapidly accelerated industrialisation and urbanisation. Despite being the world leader in exporting rice, the Philippines primarily places emphasis in services and manufacturing, while Australia places emphasis on exporting commodities rather than manufactured goods. Both Philippines and Australia, after the unification, specialises in manufacturing electronics and synthetic rubber. Rich in natural resources, Philippines-Australia is one of the top exporters. Philippines primarily exports semiconductors and electronic products, transport equipment, garments, copper products, petroleum products, coconut oil, and fruits; Australia primarily exports agricultural products like wheat and wool, minerals such as iron-ore and gold, and energy in the forms of liquified natural gas and coal. Science and Technology Shortly after its formation, Philippines-Australia has been a world leader in technological innovation and scientific research. The Philippine-Australian Department of Science and Technology is the head governing agency responsible for the development of coordination of science- and technology-related projects in Philippines-Australia. Geography Territorial Evolution As a result of being the victors of World War III, Philippines and Australia occupied multiple territories, with the Philippines sector occupying a portion of Indonesia and annexing Taiwan, Palau, and the Spratly Islands, while Australia occupied the other portion of Indonesia and annexing East Timor and most of Papua New Guinea. Because Philippines and Australia helped liberate the war-torn countries that Chinese forces have invaded, the two countries agreed to a joint occupation of Southeast Asia (Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei). A referendum held in Indonesia 4 years after the Philippine-Australian joint occupation favoured Philippine-Australian rule, and were subsequently annexed as a result, with the territory divided among the Philippine and Australian sectors, except Jakarta, which was still under the joint Philippine-Australian occupation. East Timor was annexed a year after Indonesia's annexation. Greater Philippines-Australia '''Greater Philippines-Australia, fully styled the Greater Asian-Pacific Commonwealth of Philippines-Australia, is the official state name of the political entity that Philippine-Australian leaders planned to establish in Asia and Oceania after World War III. This Philippine-Australian Empire was expected to assimilate practically all of Southeast Asia and Oceania into a greatly expanded country. Demographics Population The vast majority of the population in Philippines-Australia consisted of Indonesians, followed by the Filipinos and Australians themselves. More than half the Filipino population of Philippines-Australia live in Luzon, with a small percentage of Filipinos residing in urban areas in Australia, while the vast majority of Australians live along the Australian coastlines. Cities The Philippine-Australian Capital Region, also known as "Metropolitan Pearl" is the most populous of the metropolitan areas of Philippines-Australia. The Pearl's gross regional product was estimated to be $1.8 trillion and accounts for 7.33% of the nation's GDP. Religion Philippines-Australia is officially a secular state; section 159 of the Philippine-Australian Constitution prohibits the federal government from making any law to establish any religion, impose any religious observance, or prohibit the free exercise of any religion. Philippines and Australia is dominantly Christian, while Islam dominates the Indonesian region of the union. Census data found that around 43% regularly attend church and 37% identify as very religious. Health Philippines-Australia's total expenditure is around 10.4% of GDP. The individual republics under Philippines-Australia manage hospitals and attached outpatient services. Philippines-Australia's life expectancy is the fourth highest in the world for males and tenth highest for females. Healthcare coverage around Philippines-Australia is universal. Philippines-Australia is a global leader in medical innovation and services. The country is the biggest supplier of nurses for export, with over 64% of nursing graduates in the country traveling overseas to work. Philippines-Australia is overall a low-HIV-prevalence country with less than 0.2% of the adult population estimated to be HIV-positive. Education Philippines-Australia has a functional literacy rate of 98.2%. School attendance, or registration for home schooling, is compulsory throughout Philippines-Australia. In general, it's mandatory for children to attend school from the age of 5, going through a 6-year primary, 6-year secondary, and a 2-year college education. However, in Australia, children aged 16-17 are required to participate in vocational training. In the Philippine sector, the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act signed back in 2017 ensures free tuition and exemption from other fees in public universities and colleges for Filipino students, as well as subsidies for those enrolled in private higher education institutions. Philippines-Australia regularly scores among the top three of thirty major developed countries (member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). Several government agencies are involved with education. The Department of Education of Philippines-Australia covers primary, secondary, and non-formal education, and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) supervises college and graduate academic programs and degrees as well as regulates standards in higher education. Philippines-Australia has 58 government-funded universities and six private universities, as well as a number of other specialist institutions that provide approved courses at the higher education level. About 71% of people in Philippines-Australia aged from 25 to 64 have vocational or tertiary qualifications, and the tertiary graduation rate of 53% is the highest among OECD countries. Military The military force of Philippines-Australia is composed of the common army, the separate national military forces, namely the Philippines' Armed Forces, which consists of the Philippine Air Force, the Philippine Army, and the Philippine Navy, and Australia's Defence Force, which is comprised of the Royal Australian Navy, the Australian Army and the Royal Australian Air Force, and the local militias. Philippines-Australia's spends $448 billion on its military and defence, at 3.4% of its GDP, the world's 2nd largest military budget. Defence spending plays a major role in science and technology investment, with roughly half of Philippines-Australia's research and development funded by the Department of Defence. In addition, Philippines-Australia plays a major role in UN and regional peacekeeping, disaster relief and armed conflict. Navy The Royal Philippine-Australian Navy is the naval warfare branch of the Philippine-Australian Armed Forces. Although the Royal Philippine-Australian Navy is one of the most largest and capable in the world, the navy's primary focus is with the fleet's destroyers, cruisers, and carriers, mainly because of their philosophy-"smaller and deadlier is better," set by their government, which is concerned about the high price of large battleships, their high fuel consumption, and the huge publicity a ship receives if lost in battle. Fleet * indicates Pride of the Fleet Culture The culture of Philippines-Australia has been influenced by many factors including: the nation's diverse individual background origins, with the Philippines' culture being a combination of Eastern and Western culture, Australia having influenced by Anglo-Celtic Western culture, and the rich historical culture of Indonesia; being a political union of four countries with each preserving elements of distinctive traditions, customs and symbolism. Philippines-Australia has been described as a "cultural superpower" and a "hub for diversity." Sports and Recreation About 31% of the people in Philippines-Australia over the age of 15 regularly participate in organised sporting activities. Sports of choice varies throughout Philippines-Australia. In the Philippines, numerous sports are regularly played, including basketball, boxing, volleyball, football (soccer), American football, both codes of Rugby football, badminton, karate, taekwondo, billiards, ten-pin bowling, chess, and sipa. Motocross, cycling, and mountaineering are also becoming popular. Gallery PhilippinesAustraliaHeartsOfIron4.png|Philippines-Australia as seen in a modded Hearts of Iron 4. Category:Countries Category:United Nations of Magnum Opus